4 Reasons To Turn Off Your Phone

Jan Bruce
, ContributorI write about stress and success, risk, balance and business.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

We're consuming about three times the amount of information today that we did in 1960,according to researchersat University of California, San Diego. But too much time with devices takes its toll. And now, even our top technology giants are on to this and increasingly spending resources on helping their employees dial down the device overload to regenerate: Google’s Search Inside Yourselfand Apple and Yahoo are just two of the companies that provide worksite meditation classes. As entrepreneurs, we understand the benefits of down time to clear the mind even as we perpetuate that always on in-flow work experience.Last month we conducted a survey of over 1,000 people through our interactive stress management service, meQuilibrium to find out what impact screen time was having on people's lives, attention spans, outlook -- and even we were shocked at what we found. Maybe these survey results will drive home the value of encouraging more weekend and evening time without checking in:

We Can't Say No

Sixty-one percent of respondents said they cannot ignore their devices and check them within an hour of receiving an email, text, or alert -- and 81 percent of those surveyed interrupt conversations, meals, all kinds of fun things, to do it.

We Feel Worse After Checking

I could almost understand the Pavlovian response we have to buzzing and ringing if we were guaranteed to feel better after tuning in to our screens. But it turns out we'll stop mid-sentence or mid-chew to check our email and texts--only to feel worse. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed reported feeling jealous, depressed, or even annoyed after checking updates!

My Device Makes Me Stressed

It's no surprise, then, that 73 percent of respondents believe that their devices contribute to stress in their lives. (Learn moreabout the stress epidemic and how it's impacting you.)

We Spend More Time With Screens Than People

It's bad enough that we'll interrupt what we're doing with those we love to do something that will undoubtedly leave us more stressed -- but more and more people are opting for screen time over the company of others. Three out of five people admitted to spending more of their free time on their computers than with their significant others.

3 Ways to Dial Down Your Device

Multiple devices and unlimited freedom wreak havoc on our attention spans, our social relationships and likely our productivity. More important than summer Fridays, let’s prepare for vacation and summer with three changes than can have a strong impact of a tough behavior problem:

Rethink the effects.Next time you do a quick scan of email, text, and social networks, ask yourself, what did you learn and how did it make you feel? We rarely take the time to reflect on it, but doing so and owning up to how it makes you feel and what, if anything, it's doing for you, is the first step to making a shift.

Rethink the urge.When you feel yourself reaching for your device hit pause. Ask yourself what could be gained from checking right now. Delay it--especially if you're in the middle of food or conversation. Try to remember what you learned the last time you did that scan, i.e., nothing that couldn’t wait.

Rethink your time.Rather than let digital inertia take over, make a plan: to go out, to see people, to get food, meet someone for a walk. It does require an extra effort to put yourself in front of other people, even the ones you live with -- but the rewards you'll reap from that company will outweigh anything you'll find on Facebook. If you’re feeling very adventurous, try this: leave your device at home for a day. Remind yourself what life feels like when you don’t connect.